People collect memorabilia for sentimental, recreational, and pecuniary reasons. Postal stamps, for example, are a popular category for collectors because stamps are inexpensive and readily available. Traditionally, collectors store these stamps in albums, or "stock books," made of heavy cardboard. On each page, strips of transparent material like glassine or plastic form rows of pockets, where the stamps can be stored. To prevent the stamps from shifting, these strips are affixed tightly against each page to form the pockets, so when a stamp is placed inside a pocket, it is held firmly between the glassine strip and the page.
This conventional way of storing postal stamps suffers from several drawbacks. First, because the glassine is permanently pressed against the stamps, there is a risk that over time, the glassine strips could damage the stamps by rubbing print off of them.
In addition, because a single strip of glassine forms a single pocket in each row, the sizes and shapes of the kind of stamps that could be stored in a particular row are limited. Specifically, stamps with unusual shapes (a heart-shaped stamp, for example), would not fit in the album. Accordingly, a need exists for a more flexible way to house and exhibit postal stamp collections.
Also, there is often a need for several different textures, media and physical characteristics, to be involved in any display. Thus, a need exists for a manner of displaying memorabilia, having different shapes and/or thicknesses.